Not Marlies specific, but I've usually posted news about AHL franchise movement in this section of the board.

The Minnesota Wild are moving the Houston Aeros to Des Moines, Iowa for next season. The team has been in Houston since 1994, first in the old IHL then moving over to the AHL in 2001. This will be the 2nd time for Des Moines in the league having hosted the Iowa Stars/Chops for 4 seasons before that team moved to Texas in 2009. Also, the AHL has approved the sale of the Peoria Rivermen from the St. Louis Blues to the Vancouver Canucks. Nothing official, but there is a rumor of the team being moved to Abbotsford to replace the Flames affiliate there, which would move to Utica, NY. The Blues are expected to sign an affiliation with the Chicago Wolves, whose agreement with Vancouver is up after this season.

As expected the Chicago Wolves are the new AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues starting 2013-14 season. Still no official word on what the Canucks will do with the Peoria Rivermen franchise that they just acquired from the Blues.

As expected the Chicago Wolves are the new AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues starting 2013-14 season. Still no official word on what the Canucks will do with the Peoria Rivermen franchise that they just acquired from the Blues.

Have not seen an announcement on where the Canucks will be placing their AHL affiliate next year, but we know it will not be staying in Peoria. The SPHL (think low A ball) has announced that both Peoria and Bloomington, IL will be joining the league next season. The last speculation have the Canucks playing their AHL team out of Vancouver.

Turns out Rogers Arena falls within the AHL territory for Abbotsford so that is out unless the Canucks write a nice big cheque. Utica, NY is the latest city to get some consideration. The city has previously hosted the AHL and is only 55 miles away from Syracuse. Placing the team on ice for a year is still an option, but the least desirable as the players would be spread out across several AHL teams, not to mention the $150k fee involved.

The Canucks have firmed up the plans for their farm team. They will relocate the Peoria Rivermen to Utica NY to play under the name Comets. This marks a return of the AHL to Utica which last hosted a team (Utica Devils) in the 1992-93 season. Expect to see some realignment. The easiest solution would be for Utica and Lake Erie to switch divisions, but nothing official yet from the league.

The AHL has announced the divisions for the 2013-14 season. Turns out they did a bit more shuffling than I had expected. Utica will move from the Midwest to the North. Iowa moves into the Midwest from the West (formerly South). Abbotsford moves from the North to the West. The one move that wasn't made was leaving Charlotte in the West division. It made sense as the South, but the divisional trip from Charlotte to Abbotsford will be a fun one for sure.

I was just coming to post this. Apparently True North has signed on as a partner in a group led by former TSN analyst Gary Green. There's still a few hurdles to clear before a shovel goes in the ground in TBay.

IceCaps COO Glenn Stanford is well connected in AHL circles from his time with the SJML and then Hamilton. CEO Danny Williams was also part of the SJSE board during the Leafs days. They have released a statement saying that they have expected this and have been working on a replacement, which will play under the IceCaps name.

I was just coming to post this. Apparently True North has signed on as a partner in a group led by former TSN analyst Gary Green. There's still a few hurdles to clear before a shovel goes in the ground in TBay.

IceCaps COO Glenn Stanford is well connected in AHL circles from his time with the SJML and then Hamilton. CEO Danny Williams was also part of the SJSE board during the Leafs days. They have released a statement saying that they have expected this and have been working on a replacement, which will play under the IceCaps name.

The 2014 AHL silly season has started. The Flames have announced that they will be relocating from Abbotsford. Utica might be next as the Canucks were looking at Abbotsford last season after buying the old Peoria franchise.

So the carousel has settled for now. The Canucks will not be moving out of Utica. The Flames will be relocating to Glens Falls, NY. The city has been home to the Adirondack Phantoms for the last 5 years, but the Flyers always intended to move to Allentown once a new rink was ready, which it now is.

This has been talked about for a few years. However, they have also stated that the league will not go beyond the 30 teams, unless the NHL expands. Can't see extra teams being added anywhere. Could see the Central and ECHL merging though. That would give the western ECHL some closer opponents.

The Sharks are moving their AHL affiliate cross-country as well. Worcester is moving to San Jose and the Sharks will share their building with their farm team, creating a unique situation. Expect a name change as they both can't be named the "San Jose Sharks".

The 1st 4 cities all have history in the IHL (San Diego) or the ECHL. Stockton, Bakersfield, and Ontario all have current ECHL teams. It is speculated (not in this link) that the ECHL franchises will move into the displaced markets.

The rumours have been swirling for the last week and today the hammer dropped. The Hamilton Bulldogs are now under the ownership of the Montreal Canadiens. The franchise is on the move as they will become the St. Johns IceCaps for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. The current incarnation of the IceCaps, which is owned by the Winnipeg Jets is moving back to Winnipeg effective next year. I suspect that they will go back to the Manitoba Moose name and colours, but I haven't seen anything official on that front.

This was all set about as the current Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer has executed a purchase and relocation of the Belleville Bulls. They will play out of Copps next season under the Bulldogs name.

The rumours have been swirling for the last week and today the hammer dropped. The Hamilton Bulldogs are now under the ownership of the Montreal Canadiens. The franchise is on the move as they will become the St. Johns IceCaps for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. The current incarnation of the IceCaps, which is owned by the Winnipeg Jets is moving back to Winnipeg effective next year. I suspect that they will go back to the Manitoba Moose name and colours, but I haven't seen anything official on that front.

This was all set about as the current Bulldogs owner Michael Andlauer has executed a purchase and relocation of the Belleville Bulls. They will play out of Copps next season under the Bulldogs name.

There's been talk of a new rink in Laval that is to be managed by the Habs. That is the expected destination. The Jets are still hoping to relocate to Thunder Bay, but last I heard a shovel hasn't gone in the ground there.

There's been talk of a new rink in Laval that is to be managed by the Habs. That is the expected destination. The Jets are still hoping to relocate to Thunder Bay, but last I heard a shovel hasn't gone in the ground there.

Yeah the expectation is that Laval will be ready for 16-17 and the Habs will go there so their AHL team is close by, like a lot of teams are doing. St. John's will just be a placeholder for them. Not sure what happens to hockey there after though.

There's been talk of a new rink in Laval that is to be managed by the Habs. That is the expected destination. The Jets are still hoping to relocate to Thunder Bay, but last I heard a shovel hasn't gone in the ground there.

Yeah the expectation is that Laval will be ready for 16-17 and the Habs will go there so their AHL team is close by, like a lot of teams are doing. St. John's will just be a placeholder for them. Not sure what happens to hockey there after though.

Yes, the Bulldogs are a 2 year placeholder. More local rumours have Danny Williams trying to acquire one of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Albany Devils, though that was before this announcement. The Senators franchise in Binghamton has also been a potential target as they have the lowest attendance in the league. This gives them two more years to search for a more permanent franchise.

There's been talk of a new rink in Laval that is to be managed by the Habs. That is the expected destination. The Jets are still hoping to relocate to Thunder Bay, but last I heard a shovel hasn't gone in the ground there.

Funding for the arena and events centre has been disapproved by the government. The project is close to dead. The City is still pursuing it, but will have to look at alternative funding sources now. It's a very political situation too with many residents opposed due to increased taxes, arena location, etc.

The western shift continues. The Arizona Coyotes have ended their affiliation agreement with the Portland Pirates. The Pirates will be the affiliate of the Florida Panthers next year. The Panthers have been based in San Antonio the last few seasons so it's expected the Coyotes will go there, but nothing official yet. They had previously teamed up for 6 seasons.

The Arizona Coyotes have announced their new AHL affiliate. They have signed a multi-year deal with the Springfield Falcons. Mass Live reporting it is a 3 year deal. The two were previously affiliated from 1994-2004. This move left Columbus looking for a new dance partner, which they found within Ohio. They have announced an agreement with the Lake Erie Monsters, formerly the Colorado affiliate. The Avs have apparently signed an 5-year agreement with the San Antonio Rampage.

Well, the Donald, (as in U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump), may consider, he being no stranger to hockey. How about it -- given the challenge to run an AHL team, the Syracuse Crunch -- the business angle of it, that is.

Vance Lederman, CFO of the Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning affiliate) initially offered the Donald a coaching job to be behind the Syracuse bench. No response.So now, instead of that, Lederman is offering Trump a chance to learn how to run the business side of an AHL franchise (the Crunch itself).

Hmm. Looks like the Donald may be too busy for that too.

Here's the story:http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=779613&navid=nhl:topheads

The Springfield Falcons have been sold and are on the move to Tuscon, AZ. The team has been purchased by the Arizona Coyotes. Additionally, the Portland Pirates have been sold and there is an application in with the AHL to relocate the team to Springfield.

The franchise shifts are now confirmed. The AHL governors have approved the move of the Portland Pirates to Springfield (home of the AHL offices) for the 2016-17 season.

Also, nice article on the inaugural AHL season in San Diego.http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/nothing--minor-league--about-san-diego-gulls-return-220351896.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The new Tuscon team will go by the Roadrunners name. 3rd team in the AHL to use that name after Toronto and Edmonton. The name has some history in Arizona as several Phoenix based teams used that name in the IHL and ECHL.

Meanwhile, the team that moved into Springfield to replace the one that moved to AZ will go by Thunderbirds. According to the press release, they choose the name based on some Air force connections.

The new Tuscon team will go by the Roadrunners name. 3rd team in the AHL to use that name after Toronto and Edmonton. The name has some history in Arizona as several Phoenix based teams used that name in the IHL and ECHL.

Meanwhile, the team that moved into Springfield to replace the one that moved to AZ will go by Thunderbirds. According to the press release, they choose the name based on some Air force connections.

The new Tuscon team will go by the Roadrunners name. 3rd team in the AHL to use that name after Toronto and Edmonton. The name has some history in Arizona as several Phoenix based teams used that name in the IHL and ECHL.

Meanwhile, the team that moved into Springfield to replace the one that moved to AZ will go by Thunderbirds. According to the press release, they choose the name based on some Air force connections.

The new Tuscon team will go by the Roadrunners name. 3rd team in the AHL to use that name after Toronto and Edmonton. The name has some history in Arizona as several Phoenix based teams used that name in the IHL and ECHL.

Meanwhile, the team that moved into Springfield to replace the one that moved to AZ will go by Thunderbirds. According to the press release, they choose the name based on some Air force connections.

The new Tuscon team will go by the Roadrunners name. 3rd team in the AHL to use that name after Toronto and Edmonton. The name has some history in Arizona as several Phoenix based teams used that name in the IHL and ECHL.

Meanwhile, the team that moved into Springfield to replace the one that moved to AZ will go by Thunderbirds. According to the press release, they choose the name based on some Air force connections.

Bender, my new favorite saying is Whale Sperm, whether for a condiment or a hair gel. Or perhaps a new Le Corden Bleu sauce for fine French food. As I have been up close (within at least 5 feet) to a few 50 ton humpbacks I do have respect for the massive Mammals. And have filmed pods of up to 20 off the Cabo coast.